Meteorology Chapter 10

If you see lightning and hear the thunder 15 seconds later, then the lightning stroke is about ____ miles away.

3

When caught in a thunderstorm in an open field, what action is best to take?

Crouch down as low as possible while minimizing contact with the ground.

The greatest annual number of thunderstorms in the United States occurs in ____.

Florida

The network of more than 150 Doppler radar units deployed at selected weather stations within the continental United States is referred to as _____.

NEXRAD

As the electric potential near the ground increases during a thunderstorm, a positive charge current can move up pointed objects, such as masts of ships, producing a luminous halo or glow known as ____.

St. Elmo's fire

What would you expect to observe during the passage of a gust front?

Temperatures will drop and winds will become strong and gusty.

What is the most accurate description of the principle of a lightning rod?

The lightning rod intercepts the lightning and safely carries the lightning current around the object it protects.

A small thunderstorm cloud blowing dust at the ground could warn of a severe hazard to aircraft. Why?

This could indicate an intense downdraft or microburst.

Tornadoes most frequently form in the:

afternoon

The funnel cloud characteristic of a tornado is primarily formed by:

condensation of water vapor that is drawn into the low pressure core of the tornado

The first stage in the cycle of development of a thunderstorm is known as the _____ stage, or growth stage.

cumulus

The _____ stage of a thunderstorm occurs when the updrafts weaken as the gust front moves away from the storm and no longer enhances the updrafts.

dissipating

A tornado cloud that does not touch the ground is called a ____.

funnel cloud

Tornadoes that form along a gust front are commonly called _____.

gustnadoes

The "Tornado Belt" or "Tornado Alley" of the United States is located:

in the Central Plains

Most tornadoes have winds that are ____.

less than 125 knots

A relatively narrow downburst, less than four kilometers wide, is called a ____.

microburst

Many flash floods, including those that occurred over parts of New England and the mid-Atlantic states during June 2006 and in Colorado's Big Thompson Canyon in July 1976, are the result of thunderstorms that ____.

move slowly

Thunderstorms that contain a number of cells, each in a different stage of development, are called _____ thunderstorms.

multicell

A group of thunderstorms that develop next to one another, each in a different stage of development, is called a(n) ____.

multicell thunderstorm

Scattered thunderstorms that typically form on warm, humid days are often referred to as _____.

ordinary cell thunderstorms

On a Doppler radar screen, a tornado might appear as a region of ____.

rapidly changing wind directions

Occasionally, an elongated ominous-looking cloud forms just behind a gust front. This type of cloud, which appears to slowly spin about a horizontal axis, is called a ____.

roll cloud

The majority of tornadoes that form ahead of an advancing cold front tend to move from:

southwest to northeast

A line of thunderstorms that forms ahead of an advancing cold front is called a ____.

squall line

Multicell thunderstorms may form as a line of thunderstorms, called a _____.

squall line

The mesocyclone is associated with which of the following thunderstorms?

supercell

In the United States, dryline thunderstorms are most common in ____.

the Great Plains

You are generally safe inside an automobile during a lighting storm because ____.

the metal car body will carry the lightning current around the passengers inside

The majority of lightning strikes occur ____.

within a cloud